New advances in lighting technology now allow commercial users to lower the monthly cost to light their facility and at the same time provide a much higher quality of light. State of the art electronic ballasts and tri-phosphor T8, T4 and T2 lamps provide a brighter, longer lasting, lamp with much improved color rendition at the work surface. Your current lighting fixtures can be retrofitted with the new ballasts and lamps. Most utilities provide significant rebates and low interest loans to help defray the cost of retrofitting, and your savings typically pay back in 2 to 3 years with zero impact on cash flow. Your savings pay the loan payments!
For example, a typical space with 20, four lamp four-foot fluorescent fixtures, using old technology F40T12 lamps and magnetic ballasts will provide 55,000 lumens of light output and consume 3,500 watts of power per hour. Using new ballasts and lamps in the same 20 fixtures would consume only 2,140 watts of power per hour and provide 59,000 lumens of light with a 50% improvement in color rendition.
Assuming a usage rate of 50 hours per week, at $0.10 per kilowatt-hour, would result in an annual cost savings of about $350.00 in lighting costs, plus an additional $50.00 in the maintenance costs of the fixtures. Total annual savings is $400.00 or about $30.00 per month. Also all installations are under warranty for all parts and labor for one year and ballasts are under warranty for, three years.
Other innovative lighting options such as LED, OLED, Iinduction, cold cathode CFL and Thin Film technology are available for applications in both residential and commercial applications. For example, new 11 watt LED recessed lights in homes can replace a 65 watt incandescent. For commercial applications a 12 watt LED spot light can replace a 75 watt incandandescent flood light. LED outdoor fixtures are also available, like the fixtures used on the new 35W Mississippi River Bridge.
Y9 Electric can help you meet all of your energy-efficient lighting needs. Two of our employees have earned the Green Lights Surveyor Ally designation from the Environmental Protection Agency.
Y9 Electric is a “Trade Ally” with Xcel Energy and is one of the program contractors for the One Stop Efficiency Shop Lighting Program managed by the Center for Energy and the Environment.
Efficient lighting options continue to develop and improvements in all of these technologies evolve continuously. As a result, energy-efficient lighting that was installed even as recent as 5 years ago could be upgraded to obtain even more energy savings benefits. Bavolak can help you determine which of these new technologies can benefit you.
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